The Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) at Oshodi in Lagos State at the weekend started the Middle and Senior-Level Officers’ Entrepreneurship and Management Course 16/2025 to prepare military personnel for post-service life and support national economic diversification efforts.
The course, inaugurated by NAFRC Commandant, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Bashir Mamman, is being conducted in partnership with the Empretec Nigeria Foundation, a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) initiative.
Inaugurating the course, AVM Mamman said it was aimed at equipping officers with entrepreneurial and managerial skills needed to achieve financial independence and contribute to national development after service.
‘Our mission is to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, develop business acumen, and build the resilience needed to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment,’ he said.
According to the commandant, more than 260 senior officers had benefitted from the programme in the past, adding that 42 officers drawn from the three services, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and NAFRC were enrolled for this session.
AVM Mamman expressed appreciation for the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinunu, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and service chiefs for their commitment to national capacity-building.
He urged the participants to begin small-scale ventures while in service as part of their transition planning.
Giving the course outline, Deputy Director of Training, Navy Captain J. A. Oklobia, said it would combine lectures, workshops, and study tours designed to develop participants’ entrepreneurial capacity. Planned visits include Spectra Industries, Nigerian Conservation Centre, Commint Buka, and Songhai Farm in the Republic of Benin.
Representing Empretec Nigeria Foundation, Tobe Rapu described the collaboration as a model for institutional partnership promoting human capital development and self-reliance among officers.